CHARTER
OF THE CITY OF
SOUTH CHARLESTON
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EDITOR'S NOTE: The South Charleston Charter was approved by the voters on April 9, 1963. Sections 3.1, 3.2, 14.1 and 14.2 were amended by Ordinance 1040. Dates appearing in parentheses following section headings indicate those sections were subsequently amended, added or repealed on the date given.
ARTICLE I INCORPORATION; FORM OF GOVERNMENT
Sec. 1.1   Incorporation; Name of Body Politic and Corporate.
Sec. 1.2   Form of Government.
ARTICLE II POWERS OF CITY
Sec. 2.1   Generally.
ARTICLE III MUNICIPAL OFFICERS GENERALLY
Sec. 3.1   Mayor, City Clerk, Municipal Judge and Members of Council as Municipal Officers; Election and Term of Certain Officers Generally.
Sec. 3.2   Qualifications of Elective Officers; Limitation on Elective Officers Holding Other Public Office, etc. (1-3-02)
Sec. 3.3   Officers in Addition to Elective Officers; Salaries of Officers.
Sec. 3.4   Procedure for Filling Vacancies in Elective Offices.
Sec. 4.1   Powers and Duties Generally.
Sec. 4.2   Appointment of Certain Officers.
ARTICLE V COUNCIL
Sec. 5.1   Salary of Councilmen.
Sec. 5.2   Mayor as Presiding Officer and Member of Council; President of Council; Who to Preside in Absence of Mayor and President of Council.
Sec. 5.3   Powers of Council.
Sec. 5.4   Removal of Officers from Office.
Sec. 5.5   Vacancy in Office of Councilman.
Sec. 5.6   Creation, etc., of Boards, Commissions, Offices, etc.
Sec. 5.7   Induction of Council into Office; Meetings of Council; Quorum.
Sec. 5.8   Council as Judge of Election, etc., of Members.
Sec. 5.9   Rules and Order of Business; Journal and Minutes of Meetings.
Sec. 5.10   Enactment and Enacting Clauses of Ordinances.
Sec. 5.11   Codification of General and Permanent Ordinances; Supplements to Code.
Sec. 5.12   Independent Audit of Accounts, etc.
ARTICLE VI CITY CLERK
Sec. 6.1   Duties.
ARTICLE VII MUNICIPAL COURT
Sec. 7.1   Establishment and Jurisdiction of Municipal Court.
Sec. 7.2   Age Requirement for, and Compensation of, Municipal Judge.
Sec. 7.3   Appointment, Term and Compensation of Clerk of Municipal Court.
Sec. 7.4   Acting Municipal Judge.
Sec. 7.5   Powers and Duties of Municipal Judge.
Sec. 7.6   Who May Issue Warrants for Offenses in Violation of City Ordinances.
Sec. 7.7   Rules and Records of Municipal Judge.
Sec. 7.8   Appeal from Judgment of Municipal Court.
ARTICLE VIII CITY TREASURER
Sec. 8.1   Qualifications of City Treasurer.
Sec. 8.2   Powers and Duties Generally of City Treasurer.
Sec. 8.3   Supervision and Control of Accounting.
Sec. 8.4   Payment to City Treasurer of Fines, etc., Received by Officer or Employee.
Sec. 8.5   City Purchasing Agent Generally.
Sec. 8.6   Where Competitive Bidding Required. (6-21-01)
Sec. 8.7   Contracts for Capital Improvements and Repairs. (6-21-01)
Sec. 8.8   Requisition, etc., Prerequisite to Purchases and Contracts.
ARTICLE IX CITY ATTORNEY
Sec. 9.1   Qualifications.
Sec. 9.2   Powers and Duties.
ARTICLE X DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
Sec. 10.1   Establishment of Department of Public Works; Chief of Public Works Generally.
Sec. 10.2   Powers and Duties of Chief of Public Works.
ARTICLE XI PERSONNEL
Sec. 11.1   Discrimination Against City Employees, etc., Because of Political Affiliation, etc.; Oath May Be Required of City Employees.
Sec. 11.2   Personnel Rules and Regulations for City Employees.
Sec. 11.3   Determination and Administration of Personnel Policy; Limitation on Appointment, etc., of City Employees by Council and Dealings of Council with City Employees.
Sec. 11.4   Social Security to Be Provided; Workmen's Compensation.
Sec. 11.5   City Employees as Candidates for City Offices.
Sec. 12.1   Fiscal Year; Budget Year; Accounting Year.
Sec. 12.2   Submission of Budget; Finance and Budget Committee of Council; Citizen's Advisory Committee as to Budget and Fiscal Affairs.
Sec. 12.3   Budget, etc., as Public Record; Preparation of Copies of Budget for Distribution.
Sec. 12.4   Public Hearing on Submitted Budget and Publication of Notice Thereof.
Sec. 12.5   Revision of Budget After Public Hearing.
Sec. 12.6   Approval of Budget Generally; Quorum of Council for Approval, etc., of Budget, etc.
Sec. 12.7   Procedure as to Estimates and Levies.
Sec. 12.8   Adoption of Budget Generally; Vote on Adoption of Budget, etc.
Sec. 12.9   Term of Effectiveness of Budget; Certification and Filing of Budget; Availability of Copies of Budget.
Sec. 12.10   Effective Date of Budget; Budget to Establish Appropriations.
Sec. 12.11   Budget as Financial Plan; Limitation on Total of Proposed Expenditures; Contents of Budget Generally.
Sec. 12.12   Beginning Balance.
Sec. 12.13   Anticipated Revenues and Miscellaneous Revenues Generally.
Sec. 12.14   What to Be Included in Miscellaneous Revenues.
Sec. 12.15   Limitation on Inclusion of Miscellaneous Revenue as Anticipated Revenue.
Sec. 12.16   Limitation on Inclusion of New Revenue as Anticipated Revenue.
Sec. 12.17   Comparison of Items of Anticipated Revenue with Other Years.
Sec. 12.18   Items for Which Budget to Make Provision.
Sec. 12.19   Comparison of Items of Proposed Expenditures With Other Years.
Sec. 12.20   Allotment of Appropriations for Work Programs of Departments, etc.
Sec. 12.21   Further Provisions as to Work Programs and Allotments for Departments, etc.; Authorization of Expenditures for Departments, etc.
Sec. 12.22   Transfer of Unencumbered Balance of Appropriations.
Sec. 12.23   Lapsing of Appropriations.
Sec. 12.24   Appropriations Prerequisite to Certain Contracts, etc.
Sec. 12.25   Budget to be Headed by Budget Summary.
Sec. 13.1   Division of City into Wards, Not More Than Eight (8) in Number; Single-Member Representation of Wards; Apportionment of City Following Effective Date of Amendment to this Article and After Each Decennial Census Thereafter; Maximum Population Variance. (6-7-83)
Sec. 13.2   Compact and Contiguous Wards; Specific Requirements to Ensure Compactness of Wards. (6-7-83)
ARTICLE XIV NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
Sec. 14.1   When Primary and General Elections to be Held; Term of City Officials Elected under Charter, etc. (7-21-16; 12-3-20)
Sec. 14.2   Nomination of Candidates by Primary Election, etc.; Who Considered a Qualified Party; Limitations on Voting in Primary Election; City Executive Committees of Political Parties; Qualifications for Councilman, etc. (7-21-16)
Sec. 14.3   City Board of Ballot Commissioners. (7-21-16)
Sec. 14.4   Appointment of Election Officials; Officials; Where Primary and General Elections Held. (7-21-16)
Sec. 14.5   Uniform Election Board for Each Voting Precinct. (7-21-16)
Sec. 14.6   Procedure as to Registration Records, Ballots, etc.; Canvassing of Election and Declaration, etc., of Result. (7-21-16)
Sec. 14.7   Decision on Tie Vote for Elective Office. (7-21-16)
Sec. 14.8   Procedure as to Contested Elections. (7-21-16)
Sec. 14.9   Applicability of General Election Laws. (7-21-16)
Sec. 14.10   Absentee Voting. (7-21-16)
ARTICLE XV INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM AND RECALL
Sec. 15.1   Power of Initiative.
Sec. 15.2   Power of Referendum.
Sec. 15.3   Form and Contents of, and Signatures to, Initiative or Referendum Petition; Committee of Petitioners.
Sec. 15.4   Filing, Examination and Certification of Initiative or Referendum Petitions.
Sec. 15.5   Amendment of Initiative or Referendum Petition.
Sec. 15.6   Approval of Ordinance by Electors Prerequisite to its Going into Effect When Referendum Petition Has Been Certified.
Sec. 15.7   Consideration by Council of Certified Initiative or Referendum Petition.
Sec. 15.8   Submission of Certain Ordinances to Electors Generally.
Sec. 15.9   Ballots and Voting When Certain Ordinances are Submitted to Electors.
Sec. 15.10   Effect of Results of Election When Certain Ordinances are Submitted to Electors.
Sec. 15.11   Publication, Alteration or Repeal of Certain Ordinances.
Sec. 15.12   Recall Power of Electors.
Sec. 15.13   Recall Election under Petition.
Sec. 15.14   Recall Filling Council Vacancy in Case of.
Sec. 15.15   Recall Limitations.
ARTICLE XVI GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 16.1   Claims Against the City.
Sec. 16.2   Immunity of Elective Officers.
Sec. 16.3   Limitation on Compensation of City Officers or Employees.
Sec. 16.4   Qualifications and Responsibilities of the Chief of Police.
Sec. 16.5   Qualifications and Responsibilities of the Chief of Fire Department.
Sec. 16.6   Inspection by Citizens of Records and Accounts of Departments, etc., of City.
Sec. 16.7   Financial Interest of Council Member, etc., in Contract, etc.
Sec. 16.8   Use of Local Labor in Performance of Certain Contracts.
Sec. 16.9   Bond Required of Certain City Officers and Personnel.
Sec. 16.10   Oath and Qualification of Certain Officers.
Sec. 16.11   Article and Section Titles.
Sec. 16.12   Separability Clause.
ARTICLE XVII SUCCESSION IN GOVERNMENT
Sec. 17.1   Effective Date of Charter; Continuation in Office of Mayor, Municipal Judge, Council Members, etc.
Sec. 17.2   Continuation in Office of Persons Holding Administrative Positions; Continuity of City Departments, etc., Generally.
Sec. 17.3   Further Provisions as to Continuity of City Departments, etc.
Sec. 17.4   When Certain Acts to be Done.
Sec. 17.5   Transfer of Records and Property.
Sec. 17.6   Pending Actions and Proceedings.
Sec. 17.7   Assurance of Continuity of Local Government in National Emergency.
Sec. 17.8   Continuation of Ordinances, etc., Conflict ing with Charter.
CHARTER
OF THE CITY OF
SOUTH CHARLESTON